SOLD FOR
$13,460.40

(LOT 3)
Brilliant 1912 S81 Ty Cobb Helmar Silk #102 (NM/MT) – One of the Finest Known in the Hobby!
Super rare and immensely desirable are the S81 Helmar Silks, distributed in 1912 by the Helmar Tobacco Co. as premiums for their Turkish Trophy cigarettes. Measuring approximately 6-3/4" x 8-3/4", these silk scarcities include brilliant pictures for 25 of the game's top players with most of the images taken from the T3 Turkey Red cards distributed in 1911. The most common silk continues to be the legendary Christy Mathewson due to the "New England find" several years ago where a stack of Mathewson silks were disclosed. That said, one of the rarest and unquestionably the most valuable of all the S81 Silks is the immortal Tyrus Raymond Cobb. Seldom surfacing for the taking, we can confidently state it is an extraordinary circumstance to find this highly coveted and ultra-scarce Ty Cobb memento. With that in mind, presented here just happens to be Ty Cobb's S81 Silk depicting near impeccable aesthetics and easily residing as one of the finest two or three specimens extant!

While the more common T3 Turkey Red cabinets include this classic Cobb batting image, S81 Cobb's virtually never surface within the hobby, with a mere fraction of remaining Cobb silks versus its T3 Cobb brethren. It is easily one of Cobb's most elusive pre-World War I collectibles, and many elite enthusiasts literally "skip a beat" when one becomes available. Cobb's status as one of the game's greatest players ever has elevated his hobby status to a pinnacle level, and his myriad of batting achievements has earned him immortal stature. Whenever a remote collectible of the "Georgia Peach" appears, advanced collectors follow the trail, and NONE could possibly surpass the utmost paucity level of this immaculate silk. Condition sensitive to say the least, S81 silks typically reveal staining and prominent "fraying" along its ultra-sensitive crème colored borders. Stubbornly defying "Father Time", this incredible offering reveals virtually no fraying whatsoever, with only some subtle areas of negligible fraying along the upper perimeter.

Cobb's majestic batting stance literally prompts a ghostly chill as the fiery outfielder patiently awaits to stroke another one of his 4,191 safeties, with his unparalleled intensity revealed via this iconic pose. Remarkably, the vast array of gray hues still retain their original robust color, the bold "COBB DETROIT" text is completely intact, and no creasing and/or surface flaws are evident. As a final stamp of approval, the white background is super clean, withstanding 107 years of potential wear and basically retaining a majority of its original factory issued pristine qualities. To reiterate, this is unquestionably one of Ty Cobb's most elusive early 20th century collectibles and you will be hard pressed to find the next available one, let alone an example that stands tall as one of the finest of its kind. A museum worthy masterpiece to say the least, it merits the highest hobby accolades and a permanent home in any "World Class" gathering!